Reactions to Romney's speech continue, in the morning papers, in the Corner, around the blogosphere, in my e-mailbox, etc. The upside for Mitt Romney is that indeed, he has managed to command the spotlight for an entire week in a way that few candidates have in this campaign. And while some people were more impressed with the speech than others, there aren't many people saying, "he flopped."

I suspect that this may actually goose his poll numbers a bit, as it probably caused a few people who don't pay much attention to the race or to him to give him a longer look.

Gov. Romney’s speech was a magnificent reminder of the role religious faith must play in government and public policy. His delivery was passionate and his message was inspirational. Whether it will answer all the questions and concerns of Evangelical Christian voters is yet to be determined, but the governor is to be commended for articulating the importance of our religious heritage as it relates to today.

Mr. Romney gave the speech Thursday morning. How did he do?

Very, very well. He made himself some history. The words he said will likely have a real and positive impact on his fortunes. The speech's main and immediate achievement is that foes of his faith will now have to defend their thinking, in public. But what can they say to counter his high-minded arguments? "Mormons have cooties"?

Romney reintroduced himself to a distracted country--Who is that handsome man saying those nice things?--while defending principles we all, actually, hold close, and hold high.

This was the best speech of the campaign.

After viewing the speech, I have a new found respect for the good man, Mitt Romney. He delivered the speech brilliantly, sincerely and with grave respect. As I watched the speech I could picture Romney delivering it from the Oval Office. Romney has always seemed to have all the right qualities and stature to be the Republican nominee for 2008 but for some reason came off a little too slick. He doesn’t now.

Mitt Romney's "Faith in America" speech was simply magnificent, and anyone who denies it is not to be trusted as an analyst. On every level it was a masterpiece. The staging and Romney's delivery, the eclipse of all other candidates it caused, the domination of the news cycle just prior to the start of absentee voting in New Hampshire on Monday --for all these reasons and more it will be long discussed as a masterpiece of political maneuver.

I came to prefer Romney to my second choice candidate (Huckabee), because I think him better prepared intellectually to be President. I like Mike and think he was an effective governor of a small state, but Mitt Romney was forced to confront the intellectual culture of Massachusetts.

Mitt Romney had to wrestle with the intersection of our (mostly) secular intellectual elite and the governance of a (mostly) religious nation.

Someone wake me up! I could have sworn this was December 2007. But today in College Station, Texas, as I watched Mitt Romney deliver his long awaited faith speech with American flags draped behind him, it felt like January 2009.

At his worst, Romney has seemed a mere collection of political positions; in The Speech, he showed a core, a political soul. He partially wrote and then delivered a speech that was a deeply felt love poem to America, a defense and celebration of its religious vibrancy and world-shaping commitment to liberty. For this moment at least, the shrewd politician was replaced by the simple, unadorned patriot.

Romney will have a harder time dispelling doubts about his Mormonism than about his political character. Christians and secularists who consider Mormonism a cult whose adherents are unworthy of high political office won’t be moved by any speech. As for everyone else, what else do they need to know other than, as Romney put it, “When I place my hand on the Bible and take the oath of office, that oath becomes my highest promise to God”?

"He did what he needed to do"

"I happen to think that if it wasn’t the best speech of any of the candidates it was definitely in the top two or three."

If Mitt Romney wins the Republican nomination, it will be due in large measure to his splendid and moving defense of his faith and beliefs delivered today at the George Bush Presidential Library.

No longer is he that guy you're not sure believes anything. He's a decent, successful, experienced exec who gave a stirring speech about American greatness and wouldn't apologize for being a man of faith. A whole host of people seem to be giving him another look, have a newfound respect. The speech strikes me as a grand success. But we shall see.

Romney was also right that "every single human being is a child of God." This is at the root of the belief system of many liberals who are religious. Romney was echoing — unconsciously, to be sure — none other than Bill Clinton, who declared in a 1992 campaign speech that "all of us must respect the reflection of God's image in every man and woman."

Labels: mitt romney, the mormon speech, the speech